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Monday, June 23, 2014

Concrete & Tulips and a CaterpillarGreen Yarns Giveaway!

Holy smokes! Is this a post about a finished pair of socks?? Why yes, yes it is. A quick peek at previous sock related posts suggests that I've been knitting on a lot of socks but there hasn't been a post since February that present any actual finished sock. Well, here you go. Here's a finished pair of socks. There's more, trust me. But these ones in particular make me overly happy. And how could they not? They're stripe-y, they're colourful, they're made with the softest of MCN yarns, and they fit perfectly.As per usual with self-striping yarns, I went with my go-to plain vanilla toe-up sock with afterthought heel recipe. This kind of mindless knit usually works up fast for me as I'm always wanting to knit "just one more stripe". Although I have to admit that I probably spent more time admiring the yarn, the sock, and the stripes than I did knitting. But can you blame me? Just look at this yumminess!

I'm pretty darned pleased with myself for taking the time to measure out my yarn before the first green stripe so that the pair could be somewhat identical. I think I did a bang on job too. I did mess up on the heel the first time around (well...ok...not really 'messed up' per se, more like I didn't like how the stripes played out when it came time to graft my heel together) but it all worked out in the end without losing too much knitting time. This yarn was such a pleasure to work with that I honestly didn't mind ripping out and re-knitting the heel a few times.

When it comes to plain vanilla socks there's usually no need for mods, but this time I did a teeny, tiny little one - on the cuff. To avoid the unsightly purl bumps of contrasting colour when the stripes changed from grey to a colour (in my case that would be green), I stopped knitting in the 2x2 ribbing pattern and would just knit all the stitches until all the stitches on the needles were in the new colour, then I'd switch back to ribbing. This little mod is more for the nit-picky perfectionist knitter but I figured that if I already went through the trouble to get my stripes lined up and to make the pair identical, then I might as well go all out knitterly crazy.For the record: I'm generally not this picky when it comes to my stripes. At least I don't think so. I do like to cast on my socks and start them with the same colour but never to the point where I take such actions like measuring out my tail and the amount of yarn I have until the first stripe. The only time I've ever done that was for my Hudson socks, but I think those were a special case in which mismatched and noticeably uneven stripes would just make the final product look sloppy.

These little details are definitely things that no one would notice but me. Little things that no one would care about but me. And you know what? I get that. But I'm also the one wearing these. Every knitter and crafter has their own little quirk and things that they can and can't handle. This is mine. Sometimes I pay way too much attention to detail and can drive myself nuts with something as minute as a wonky stitch, a tiny gap...it's even worse when it comes to sewing - uneven topstitching makes me cringe and 99% of the time I have to force myself to look the other way when I spot a single stitch is a little off. Yet it doesn't bother me in the least when I see this type of stuff on other people's work. Crazy, right?

I have a good amount of yarn leftover. I had originally planned to knit up every last bit of yarn until I realized that going that route would result in the most awkward of lengths - I'm short but not short enough that one skein of yarn could produce knee-high socks. Next time (trust me, there will be a lot of next times when it comes to knitting with CaterpillarGreen Yarns!) I think I'll either nab an accent skein (I love how Catherine, the dyer of CaterpillarGreen Yarns, dyes up the accent skeins to ensure the yarns are from the same dye lot) or splurge and get CaterpillarGreen Yarns newest addition to their product line-up: the behemoth XL hank that is 548 metres (599 yds) or 170g for those of you who think in grams, of pure self-striping yumminess!! You can squeak out 2 pair of socks with that amount! Or, if you're of average height, a pair of knee-high socks without worry of running out of yarn! Before this pair of socks I've knit with one other CaterpillarGreen Yarns, in the Ocean Sunset colourway (a project that I have yet to blog about, oops!). The yarn itself was so, so soft and smooth to knit with and the colours were such a treat to watch as they gradually changed from one hue to another. CaterpillarGreen Yarns specializes in self-striping yarns - some colourways are the usual thick stripes of colour, some are long colour repeats, and some utilize both the thick stripes and long repeats (like in the Finger Paint colourway, which I can't wait to get my hands on!).I first heard of and met Catherine of CaterpillarGreen Yarns at last year's Fibrations event and by the time I got to her booth (sadly, at the very end of the day!) it was completely raided with only a few skeins left (which is awesome for Cat!). I walked away with a skein of Ocean Sunset and it took me forever to decide what that skein should be. I'm super excited that Catherine will be back at Fibrations this year, and you can bet that I'll be stopping by her booth first thing and that I'll be stocking up (I have my heart on scoring at least 4 skeins)!! So watch out if you get between me and the CaterpillarGreen booth!! I'm also really excited to hear that Catherine has been working on a self-striping shawl yarn and can't wait to get my hands on a skein when she does finally release it. I think it's going to be glorious!

Want to hear something exciting?? Catherine of CaterpillarGreen Yarns has generously donated a skein of yarn to give away to one lucky reader!! And that's not all, not only does the winner get to choose which colourway they get, but they also get the option of picking up an accent skein or not. How incredibly awesome is that?? Thank you so much Catherine for this fabulous opportunity!! ♥I know a fair amount of people have been eyeballing both the CaterpillarGreen Yarns website and my Concrete & Tulips socks, so here's your chance to win a skein of your very own!

:: THE PRIZE ::One lucky winner will receive a regular skein (that's 115g of yummy yarn) of their choice from CaterpillarGreen Yarns AND an accent skein, if desired.:: THE RULES :::: The giveaway is open to everyone (yay!!).:: The giveaway is open until Monday, June 30, 2014 at 11:00pm PST.:: All comments must include either a valid email address or Ravelry ID so that I can contact you if you are the winner.:: Winner will be chosen via random number generator and will be contacted within 48 hours after giveaway ends.:: HOW TO ENTER :::: Check out the CaterpillarGreen Yarns shop, then leave a comment below and let me know which colourway is your favourite and which one you'd pick if you were the winner (in case you already own your favourite!).

:: Don't forget to include your email or Ravelry ID with your comment because how else can I get a hold of you if you are the lucky winner?? ::

Good luck!!

If you're too impatient to find out if you're the lucky winner, you can check out CaterpillarGreen Yarns at the following places:

140 comments:

Loooove your concrete and tulips!!ughhh I don't know how a person is supposed to pick just one! Come on!! I think I'd pick skyline but I honestly like them all and could definitely change my mind at any moment.....CelticCastOn on Rav

Wow, awesome give-away! I think I'd pick Skyline, but Concrete and Tulips is awfully darn close in there, as is G Biv. I need to run home and get to knittin' so I can justify ordering some yarn! (lizakessler on Rav)

Wow, this giveaway is AWESOME! I looove your finished socks, and I think the attention to detail is amazing. I especially love the idea to knit a row to avoid the colour-change-purl-bumps situation in ribbing - genius!

For the giveaway, I think I would choose Spectrum. I love Concrete and Tulips, too, but this morning Spectrum is speaking my language! My rav name is SarahVV - thanks to you and Catherine for running this contest!

Your socks turned out AWESOME! I'm at that same awkward height regarding knee socks/not-so knee socks, so I would definitely choose Concrete & Tulips with a gray accent so that I could make that knee sock dream a reality!

You socks turned out beautifully and I hope your feeling better. I've never tried striping yarn but it's on my list to try out and make socks for my step dad. I love the skyline color but the finger paint is a close second. :) Rav name is Mykenai

Such beautiful yarns I LOVE Concrete and Tulips AND Ocean Sunset.If I won I think I would choose Concrete and Tulips. (Then I'd head over to her site and buy Ocean Sunset. Can never have enough pretties!)RavelryID: saltypurl

I already have skyline and concrete and tulips. Catherine was awesome enough to rush me my order for some 'so you don't get cold feet' socks for my fiance for our wedding!! I think i'd go for spectrum or gbiv. :) I'm dianatpham on ravelry.

Your socks make me really want Concrete and Tulips (and your heels! They are a thing of wonder!) but I have some baby boy knitting to do, which would lead me to choose Spectrum. Now I need to make sure not to book my out-of-town vacation on Fibrations weekend this year.

I already ordered Spectrum and Hillside, but naturally I would still kill for a Concrete and Tulips. Well, not kill PEOPLE, but maybe some wool moths. You know what I mean . . . Rav name TheNekkidSheep.

Hi there! This is a very inspiring pair of striped stocks. I've never worked with self-striping yarn before, and would love to give it a try. If I won, I would pick the Hillside colorway-- looks very delicious. :) I'm JudyNM on Ravelry. Thanks!

It's JudyNM from Ravelry again...I spoke too soon-- if I'm lucky enough to win a skein, I would love it to be Sunset. Any colorway would be fantastic, but upon more looking, Sunset is what really makes my heart go pitter pat. :)Thanks, JudyNM

Wow, beautiful yarn and great socks! How do you choose? #1 would be warm & fuzzy then, concrete & tulips then hillside, I think! That may change.....Love the tips on your socks, will use them next time. Can't wait to see CGY at Fibrations this August. Thanks Shannon for this gorgeous giveaway....would love to win.... heather538 on ravelry

Concrete and Tulips is my favourite colour way, but I already own that one. If I won, I would definitely pick a skein of G BIV :) Thanks to Cat for giving away her fab yarn (and to you for hosting the giveaway) Rav ID: mudpunch

Oh man, I have been so in love with this yarn for so long! Concrete and Tulips, and Fingerpaint are my two favourite colour ways. You can find me on Ravelry as "OwlsNestApothic" and via email at sam.madrus@icloud.comI shall dream sweet, furry, CaterpillarGreen dreams while I wait.... :)

I love them all - I keep going back to the website and checking them out since you first blogged about them! For just ONE favourite it is hard to choose between Concrete & Tulips or Warm&Fuzzy - I love the look of them both equally - but since I have to select just one (for these purposes) I'm going to have to say Warm&Fuzzy - just because they would definitely end up just for me then - due to the orange! Love orange!I'm on Ravelry as "auntytraci"PS and if I won this, I would then go and purchase all the other ones I love - just because it is way too hard to pick LOL

What a great contest opportunity!! I LOVE the skyline colourway, and concrete & tulips takes a close second. I also really like that the pictures come with a demo of the striping pattern.... so handy to help visualize what it will become! I'm crescendoknits on Ravelry :)

Ooo contest! My son picked the G Biv colourway so I'll go with that since I can't decide for myself! And I am TOTALLY the same way when it comes to matching stripes and having tiny little 'defects'. Even when I know no-one is going to notice but me, and even I won't know unless I look for it, I still go back and fix those things... Hope your head is better!

There is too much awesome in this post! I love your socks and how perfectly they match. I totally get the picky-ness. I think it's because, with plain socks, there's nothing else to distract you, so you focus on getting all the little details just right.

My favourite Caterpillargreen yarn is Concrete & Tulips, I think, though Hillside and Warm & Fuzzy are close behind.

Wow, thanks for the awesome giveaway, I have never tried this yarn before but I absolutely love how your socks turned out! I'd love to try either G Biv or Skyline if I won! I'm Stefaniegrrr on Ravelry!

I have to say they are all gorgeous colors..it is very hard to choose any! I look at one & go that's nice stripes, then look at the next one, & say the same... all of them got the same response!! Narrowing it down was very hard, but Ocean Sunset is quite appealing!! 9crafty11 on rav!

Great socks. Love them all but I think G Biv would have to be my favorite it reminds me of my fav purple teal eyeshadow combination as a kid in the late 80s. Rav juliaknitsjeff email juliabowden@hotmail.com

Wow, her yarns are absolutely stunning! It would be a hard choice but I would pick Hillside if I win. I love the colors and it's so cool how the stripes are different widths. So pretty!!I'm Cantrix on Ravelry.

I don't know how you could pick just one! I would say that my favorite is the hillside. I love the colors and that the stripes aren't equal! Thanks for the chance to win! (Rav name-zima21 or email kateyhbf@gmail.com)

I'd go for the G Biv colorway with a purple accent skein for the heels and toes. A heel flap and gusset just fits my feet so much better than afterthought heels, but they do sometimes do funny things to the stripes, so the accent skein is the perfect solution.SheilaOKeefe on Rav

Ocean Sunset is my favourite - I love how subtle the stripes are! But since I am already expecting a skein of that colourway, if I won I would probably choose my second favourite, Warm & Fuzzy (Radost on Ravelry)

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